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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25519654">Us Outsiders</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exalted_Dawn/pseuds/Exalted_Dawn'>Exalted_Dawn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Mentions of Blood, Mid-Time Skip, Nader and Claude are snowed into a cave, The story of how Claude met his wyvern, and also there's an angry wyvern trying to eat them, but it's all good, but it's not romantic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:54:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,650</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25519654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exalted_Dawn/pseuds/Exalted_Dawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Claude spat out another mouthful of bloody saliva—a futile attempt to rid himself of the bitter, copper tang that coated his the back of his throat. His lungs were already burning with each ragid inhale of the thin mountain air, and he wasn’t too keen on adding “choked on his own spit” to the rapidly growing list of ways he could die tonight. </p>
<p>Of all the reasons to miss the Golden Deers reunion in a few years, he imagined that would probably have to be the most unfortunate.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>A story about the night Claude met his wyvern.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nader &amp; Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Us Outsiders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Claude spat out another mouthful of bloody saliva—a futile attempt to rid himself of the bitter, copper tang that coated his the back of his throat. His lungs were already burning with each ragid inhale of the thin mountain air, and he wasn’t too keen on adding “choked on his own spit” to the rapidly growing list of ways he could die tonight. </p>
<p>Of all the reasons to miss the Golden Deers reunion in a few years, he imagined that would probably have to be the <em> most </em>unfortunate.</p>
<p>The air quaked with a guttural hiss that shook him from his thoughts, giving him just enough of a warning to hug the ground as a set of slavering jaws snapped shut over the empty space where his head had just been. He rolled to his right, drew up his bow, and waited. </p>
<p>Claude listened for the scrape of claws against stone, fighting to keep focused as his nose flooded with the rancid smell of wyvern breath. The hair on his arms bristled like the hackles of a frightened cat, with every slight shift around him sending his nerves alight.</p>
<p>He may not be able to see the danger lurking in the shadows, but he had more than enough information to make an educated guess on where his target might be hiding within. </p>
<p>Following his instinct, Claude loosed three arrows in rapid succession.</p>
<p>A beat of silence passed before a pained screech echoed throughout the cavern, proving his aim—and his senses—to be true. Claude celebrated the small victory in a distant corner of his mind, despite the much louder and more rational thoughts cautioning him against impending doom. </p>
<p>While the wyvern was distracted, he ducked back into the shelter of a small alcove carved out of the cavern wall, his hearing still honed for the first sound of danger. “Still having trouble with that torch?”</p>
<p>Behind him, the grating of steel wool against stone chimed in succession, each set accompanied by an array of muttered Almyran expletives. Nader huffed, ignoring Claude’s whispered provocation. </p>
<p>The two of them had holed up for the night in a cliff hollow after a sudden whiteout caught the two unawares and effectively separated them from the rest of their hunting party. Normally, this choice would have been a wise one. During Fódlan’s cold months, wyverns were typically deep in hibernation, and without shelter from the wind, there was no chance of them living until morning. And so the decision to plunge themselves into the darkness of the cavern had been an easy and simple choice… at the time. </p>
<p>That had been before they’d had the poor luck of walking right into the den of a nesting mother.</p>
<p>In the rare cases where a clutch of eggs was laid before the spring thaw, a mother wyvern would forgo deep hibernation in favor of dutifully tending to her nest, ensuring that the den was kept safe and appropriately warm until the wyrmlings hatched. </p>
<p>A trait Claude had previously admired in wyverns, before it had been a threat to his life.</p>
<p>As if on cue, the mother bellowed loud enough to make the walls sing.</p>
<p>Claude nocked another arrow, counting eleven more in his quiver. “As much as I appreciate fine craftsmanship, I think time is somewhat of the essence here, my dear friend. I could really use some light,” he jokingly whispered.</p>
<p>“And I could use some quiet, but we’ll both have to make due with what we’ve got, kiddo.” He struck the fire-steel hard, and flames sputtered to life on the makeshift torch they’d fashioned out of some cloth soaked in pig grease and an axe handle. “There! See? As easy as—”</p>
<p>Nader couldn’t finish his statement as his voice was drowned out by a thunderous crack of stone. </p>
<p>The wyvern slammed herself once, then twice, against the opening of their small alcove; drawn by the sudden spark of light and Nader’s booming exclamation, but unable to fully fit her large body into the small niche that the two had hidden away in. Jagged fangs raked away at the cavern wall, sending rock shards flying as they crumbled under the force of the wyvern’s jaw. </p>
<p>Claude loosed another arrow, this time into her large, slitted amber eye as it glittered in the torchlight. </p>
<p>A clean hit, finally. </p>
<p>The wyvern howled in agony, rearing her head up and away from the crevice. </p>
<p>Seeing his opportunity, Claude motioned to Nader to follow closely behind him. The two bolted out of the opening, dodging between the wyvern’s stamping feet to make a mad dash towards what he hoped would be the mouth of the cave. His lungs burned and his heart thudded beneath his ribs, but Claude didn’t allow himself to linger on his fatigue and ran as hard as he could. The noise the half-blind wyvern was making made for a handy cover, and he wouldn’t dare to squander this chance by spending it in hesitation. </p>
<p>The two pushed their legs to work faster, and it was with relief that Claude could sense the air changing around him with each step. It was growing sharper. Colder. They were getting closer to the exit.  </p>
<p>Sprinting wildly, the two closed the final distance, and a curtain of silver light enveloped them both as they bolted out into the open. Even though it was early spring, Fódlan’s Throat was still locked under a thick blanket of snow. Light from the half-wane moon reflected off the snowdrifts and made the entire mountainside glimmer. </p>
<p>Claude was quick to note that there was no sign of the whiteout they’d been caught up in earlier, and he took a moment to revel in his luck. The sky was clear; rich with the orange-blue colors of twilight and studded with diamond stars. The lordling imagined it would have been a scene fit for one of Ignatz’s paintings, were it not for the angry drake hot on their tails. </p>
<p>Just moments following their hasty retreat, the snow around the cave entrance exploded like blast powder. The wyvern charged from her den—blood puddling onto the snow with each heavy step. </p>
<p>In the snowlight, Claude could now clearly see where his arrows had found their mark, sticking from the creature’s body like a porcupine’s quills. He’d done a decent amount of damage, the hardest hit being to her now-blinded eye, but nothing had come close to being fatal. </p>
<p>With the efficiency of men who had fought together many times, Claude and Nader split up, confusing the wyvern’s path of attack. She lept after Nader as he tore off through the ankle-deep snow, the torch held high above his head making him shine like a beacon. </p>
<p>Claude made use of the opportunity, disappearing into the shadows to snipe at the beast as he dodged between the bushes and trees. </p>
<p>If he’d had the luxury of time and a full quiver, Claude could have kept this dance up for a considerable span of time, but he was frustratingly short on both. Nader, even with his impressive stamina, probably couldn’t keep up this game of cat-and-mouse for much longer without suffering a nasty bite to the shoulder or leg, and it’d likely be some time until they had access to a medic. Additionally, with each well aimed strike, his stock of arrows grew ever thinner. If he could somehow get the wyvern into the air, Claude figured he could end this fight in a single shot. However, the mother seemed firmly grounded, content with chasing Nader with surprising accuracy for being without an eye.</p>
<p>A scheme took shape in his mind, as easy as a key sliding into its matching lock. </p>
<p>Of course. There was no way the wyvern could’ve followed Nader’s form in the dim light, even with her sharp sense of smell. No. She was following the torch, which reflected a brilliant orange-gold off the snow. It wouldn’t be easy, and Claude was less than enthused about leaving the safety of the treeline, but it was the plan that he had for getting them both home alive.</p>
<p>“Nader! The torch, to me!” His voice traveled across the snow as he surged forward into the clearing, his bow drawn and at the ready. </p>
<p>His childhood mentor didn’t give Claude so much as a glance before he chucked the torch straight towards him. It arced through the air like a small meteor, and Claude slid to catch it before it struck the ground. </p>
<p>Deftly and with purpose, he tore a still-burning strip of cloth from the torch and tied it to an arrow, achingly aware of the sudden weight of the wyvern’s focus as it shifted to him. </p>
<p>The flame bit at his cold fingers, but he ignored it and began wrapping the arrowhead with pieces of his cotton cloak, making sure that it would burn bright and hot. With more force than was necessary, he stuck the torch end into the snow; its light instantly snuffed out with a sputtering hiss. </p>
<p>Just as soon as he nocked his arrow and turned to aim, the wyvern was upon him. She was all gnashing teeth; intent on eliminating the threat that invaded her den and blinded her with a single, deadly bite. </p>
<p>Claude reeled back, stumbling to the right just in time to avoid being gnawed in half. For the barest moment, he could see his reflection in the mother’s one good eye. </p>
<p>He looked disheveled and dirty, with a gash on his forehead, but was otherwise unharmed. The realization filled him with assurance.</p>
<p>He danced away as quick as a rabbit, but made sure to keep in the wyvern’s line of sight. The arrow was now blazing, and it crackled as he rushed to put distance between himself and the beast. </p>
<p>Claude aimed high, risking a brief moment of removing his attention from the wyvern to mark his favorite star in the sky as his target. He could feel the earth shake as the angry mother pursued him, but he refused to run. He stuck his feet firmly to the ground, straightened his back, and let the arrow fly. </p>
<p>It soared upward in a flaming arc; radiant against the now dark sky. </p>
<p>The wyvern’s head whipped upwards, following the flare just as Claude had hoped. He barely managed to stumble out of the way as she spread her wings, kicking up billowing clouds of powdered snow as she flapped once, then twice, and took to the air in pursuit of his red herring. </p>
<p>He fell back, waves of relief washing over him as he watched the threat soar up and away, out of sight. He chuckled breathlessly, unable to stop the joy that welled up inside of his chest. </p>
<p>They were alive. And even better, he’d managed to pull it off without killing the mother wyvern either. </p>
<p>“C’mon kiddo, get yourself up,” Nader grunted with a half-smile. He sounded stern, but he glowed with victory. “She’ll be back soon enough for her nest. We should get our things from the cave and be long gone before she returns.”</p>
<p>The older wall-of-a-man offered Claude a hand, which he gladly took. His back and pants were soaked through with ice melt, but that was something that could be addressed later. </p>
<p>He picked up the deadened torch and handed it back to Nader. “Agreed. I can’t chance giving Lorenz the satisfaction of me doing something foolish and becoming some lizard’s dinner. His taunting would follow me to my grave.”</p>
<p>The two of them wandered back into the system of caves, carefully picking their way along the walls and back towards the tiny crevice they’d taken up shelter in. Luckily for them, their effects still lay where they left them, dry and undisturbed. </p>
<p>Making use of the lull in danger, they took the opportunity to quickly dress in dry travelware and light another torch. After that, they made quick work of gathering their things; Claude and Nader were ready to go within a span of minutes.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>
  <em> Creeeee. </em>
</p>
<p>Claude paused midstep, the toe of his boot dragging against the dirt floor. The two were already taking their leave, but a noise as light as wind caught his ear and made him still. “Did you hear that?”</p>
<p>He turned, a sudden curiosity burning in his chest. He’d heard that noise before, but surely his mind was deceiving him? </p>
<p>He gave Nader a questioning glance, who returned it with a wary look of his own. Claude knew they were on a schedule but his natural inquisitiveness demanded that he head toward the sound, away from the mouth of the cave. Nader followed close behind him, the both of them moving with quiet urgency as they pressed deeper into the cavern.</p>
<p>The stone halls eventually widened, and the space bloomed into a large, domed room. </p>
<p>The den.</p>
<p>In the middle of the space was a pit, ringed with rocks and clay. Claude froze, watching as several small forms squirmed in the dim torchlight. </p>
<p>There were <em> hatchlings </em>. Not just eggs, but baby wyverns.</p>
<p>Claude shot Nader a hasty over-the-shoulder glance, before chancing a few steps closer. He counted two—no, <em> three </em>hatchlings, all huddled together in a tangled mess. At first, he thought he might have been imagining it, since wyrmlings hatched this early in the season were a bit of a rarity. But, they—</p>
<p>He stopped midstep; something catching underfoot. Claude stumbled back, startled as an intense and piercing screech echoed through the domed space. A pale form squirmed out from beneath his boot and gave a pathetic whine. A pure white wyvern; scrawny and pitifully small. </p>
<p>Nader grunted, coming up behind him. “Well I’ll be damned… I haven’t seen one of them in at least a decade and a half,” he mused, studying the wyrmling with a pitying look. “Poor thing probably won’t last until the snow-thaw, judging by the look of it. It’s awfully… scraggly-looking.” </p>
<p>“It’s malnourished,” Claude corrected. “The mother probably decided that an offspring with that coloring wouldn’t be worth raising.” His voice was flat and carefully lacking in emotion. He dropped to his knee and held out a piece of salted meat, cooing softly in an attempt to calm the frightened creature.</p>
<p>Nader gripped his shoulder and shook his head; his face the picture of mild dismay. “Kiddo, I know how you feel, but if the mother’s already abandoned it, feeding it now would only waste food and extend the thing’s suffering…” </p>
<p>Claude’s heart felt like a stone in his chest, heated by the slow-boiling anger of times long past. </p>
<p>Like an old coal rekindled, a familiar obstinacy rose up in him that he hadn’t felt in years. A rather unwise idea set itself in his mind and hardened like steel.</p>
<p>He scooped up the hatching into his arms, wrapping it in his heavy, cotton cloak to avoid the needle-sharp claws. It was the size of a fully-grown hound, but Claude decided that he could still maintain his grip even when trudging through snow. He turned on his heel, and left the den without looking back. </p>
<p>Nader followed after him, amusement and curiosity dancing in his eyes, but he only waited until they were well and clear from the cave to speak. </p>
<p>“Raising it won’t be easy,” he warned with a mocking, patronizing tone. “It was born wild; not like the tamed breeds you’re used to in the court stables.”</p>
<p>Claude smirked, the rolling satisfaction at those words warming his belly and making him almost laugh. “Since when were you one to care if something was ‘easy’?” he joked back, readjusting his hold on the wyvern as it squirmed a bit in his arms. </p>
<p>He watched it for a moment. It was clearly weak from hunger, but its eyes glimmered like golden flame. This little one hadn’t given up just yet, it seemed. </p>
<p>He continued. “And besides, us outsiders have to stick together.” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everybody! It's been a small while (blame Art Fight, I've been pumping out art for the past few weeks), but here's a one shot for you to enjoy between my updates! </p>
<p>I wrote this for The Golden Scheme, a Claude Zine I participated in a couple of months ago, and I'm happy to finally be able to post this now that all the orders have shipped! It was an awesome project to be a part of and it was a fun change of pace :)</p>
<p>As always, I love hearing from you guys so make sure to comment! I hope you all are doing well and that you have a good week!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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